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Apple Removes Top Security App For Stealing Data and Sending it to China

Apple removed today a very popular anti-malware app called Adware Doctor from the Mac App Store because it was gathering browsing history and other sensitive information without a user's permission and then uploading it to someone in China. Adware Doctor is promoted as an anti-malware and adware protection program that claims to be able to protect your Mac from malicious files and browser from adware. This program was the #1 paid utility in the Mac App Store with a 4.8-star rating and over 7,000 reviews. While it may have had the ability to remove infections on your Mac, it was also discovered to be quietly uploading a user's personal data without their permission to a remote site. This behavior was first discovered by a security researcher named Privacy 1st who noticed that Adware Doctor would gather a user's browsing history from the Chrome, Safari, and the Firefox browsers, a list of running processes, and App Store search history. This information is then stored in a password protected zip file called history.zip. After the history zip was created, it would be uploaded to a remote server. In a blog post released today, Patrick corroborates Private_1st's findings and provides a detailed analysis of how the program would secretly gather a user's browsing habits and application details and then upload it to a remote host. When Adware Doctor uploaded a user's data, it would send the history.zip file to a remote host named adscan.yelabapp.com. While this domain is hosted on Amazon AWS servers, its DNS records clearly show that it is administered by someone from China. Continue reading on OUR FORUM.